Wrong side driving social media stunt

OldFrill

There is at least one balloon release planned for tomorrow for one of these boys. Details all over SM "everyone invited". There is also growing dissent from people who don't think the event should be allowed and plan to go to oppose it. Could be a huge crowd. How are colleagues of the dead policemen going to cope with policing this.

There are families mourning these boys but in the circumstances I feel it should be kept low key.
However, it seems these boys were well known trouble makers from families who had little respect for others, particularly the Police.
I would like to see it banned because it is a riot in the making.

“Change the cultural norms” - an excellent suggestion MOnica but, how on earth can that aim begin?

Work meant I’ve had fairly extensive involvement with the travelling community. I try to avoid stereotyping entire races or communities and stress I met some excellent individuals and families. The single outstanding factor to get through is the strong belief in the community that they are victimised outsiders.

I’ll stop here and be interested in views of others to MOnica raising this imo relevant issue. Yes many young men are risk takers, not only those from the travelling community

SueDonim

First of all, my heart goes out the families and friends of the two police officers killed in this incident. It’s an utter tragedy.

We were talking about this today with family. My niece, who has two young adult children, said we need to bring back National Service - I nearly fell off my chair with astonishment as I’d never have imagined her saying those words. I asked her why and she said she felt it would have been a really good thing for her two to learn some discipline and to take responsibility for their own actions. She’s mainly been a single parent, while working FT, due to their father walking out, but I’m not aware that they’d been particularly difficult teens - they both worked PT from about 16yo and never been in trouble with the police, but she still feels they’d have benefited from the experience by reinforcing decent values to them.

How you’d implement something like that today, I don’t know. I was just amazed that a current parent had even heard of National Service, let alone support it.

There is no doubt that the behaviour of children has been neglected, it's not just the poor or disadvantaged, children of well off families can be just as irresponsible. There was a case locally where others died because of stupid dangerous behaviour. It's not just cars, swimming in dangerous places is just as irresponsible self discipline has been badly neglected.

Not national service, service to the community, teaching responsibility, respect and accountability.

Margs Often they have not passed the driving test, they steal a car and drive it recklessly with no license or insurance.

A disproportionate number of these lads are from the traveller community.

A few years ago DS and I arrived very early for the funeral of a friend. It was a lovely day and the crematorium was in the middle of a cemetery. Different areas contained the dead of different communities.

Walking round the traveller section both DS and I commented on the disproportionately high number of young men among the deceased. We had no idea how they died, but we did ask ourselves why this should happen.

Perhaps we and they need to consider why this is happening and what can be done to change the cultural norms that lead to the tragic death toll of young men within this community.

The two families of the police officers have made heartbreaking statements. I cannot even begin to imagine their pain.

First of all, my heart goes out the families and friends of the two police officers killed in this incident. It’s an utter tragedy.

We were talking about this today with family. My niece, who has two young adult children, said we need to bring back National Service - I nearly fell off my chair with astonishment as I’d never have imagined her saying those words. I asked her why and she said she felt it would have been a really good thing for her two to learn some discipline and to take responsibility for their own actions. She’s mainly been a single parent, while working FT, due to their father walking out, but I’m not aware that they’d been particularly difficult teens - they both worked PT from about 16yo and never been in trouble with the police, but she still feels they’d have benefited from the experience by reinforcing decent values to them.

How you’d implement something like that today, I don’t know. I was just amazed that a current parent had even heard of National Service, let alone support it.

Balloon releases should be banned too - full stop.

Dont blame Tic Toc blame society for allowing the feral behavior by young men and some women, the "getting away with it culture".
Gratuitous law breaking and dangerous behaviour has become normalized the A66 is just the worse so far, there have been other tragedies as well that have killed innocents.

I actually think this might become quite unpleasant, a lot of the residents of Middlesborough are asking the council to stop the balloon release, I could just see this becoming a battlefield so to speak.

There is a go fund me page for the families of the police officers.

There is at least one balloon release planned for tomorrow for one of these boys. Details all over SM "everyone invited". There is also growing dissent from people who don't think the event should be allowed and plan to go to oppose it. Could be a huge crowd. How are colleagues of the dead policemen going to cope with policing this.

Someone I admire greatly on twitter ( there are some great voices on there and some crazy people) has just said driving a car the wrong way is equivalent to firing a loaded gun in a public space, I think that is spot on.

Just so horrified by this idiot behaviour. What morons! In light of these recent deaths, I agree, Tik Tok need to step up to the plate and monitor their site. I've no idea how that's done but they need to work that one out and pronto. These stunts can't be allowed to continue.

Vivaldi and M0nica very sadly I do agree.

M0nica

Even before these teenage social media encouraged stunts, there has always been a steady stream of young men and teenagers killing themselves recklessly driving. They own an old banger or borrow a parents car and show off to friends then go off the road and drive into trees or go down embankments or into rivers.

Usually they only kill and/or injure themselves and their friends, but these last two accidents have had innocent casualties as well. Two policemen killed in England, 3/4 people seriously injured in Ireland.

But this sort of reckless driving down roads has always been with us. 45 years ago three youths, chased by the police drove the wrong way down a dual carriageway and hit a car containing a family. The two children in the back were killed, the parents in the front permanently disabled.

One of the children was a playgtound friend of DS. The effect of these accidents cause ripples that spread far beyond the families of those directly involved. DS was profoundly affected by this accident and I sometimes wonder if it is entirely coincidental that my DDiL experienced a similar tragedy which deeply affected her.

Yes me & DH have lost into double figures of friends / relatives when we were young on the roads. But that was before many speed limits, seatbelts, drink -driving prosecutions. & it's not only boys & not only young. Couples having quarrels can also drive very dangerously for eg.

Why on earth didn't Tiktok close this/ these posts down immediately?

Completely understand how you feel, but it’s the idiots who post this challenges who need shutting down and frankly prosecuting.

TIK-TOK need to monitor and police their site better, but taking the site away won’t stop frankly ridiculous irresponsible people posting.

God only knows why anyone would even contemplate doing so called “challenges” of this nature is utterly beyond me!

Witzend

Calendargirl

Margs

Do teenage boys - it's always boys - possess minds? I think not.

We have these groups of teenage morons, one of them (amazingly) passes a driving test and immediately the gang piles into a wreck of a car and set off to go pure crazy.

I'd suggest that those of the male gender not be allowed on the roads until they reach sensible middle age.......but I suppose that would be trampling on their 'yoomin rites, like'

Think we should follow Australia, where there are restrictions on new young drivers having other young people in the car, apart from siblings.

Just seems very sensible to me.

I agree 100%, but the kind of kids who think it’s good fun to drive the wrong way down a motorway at goodness knows how many mph, often in stolen cars anyway, will probably just stick two fingers up at any such rule.

Calendargirl
We havnt got enough police to enforce the same idea as Australia.
When you’re on a long journey ( Mostly motorways) do you not notice how few police patrol cars there are.
Then we have the added problem of how to punish them?
Prison isn’t an option as they are full.

Then there’s the problem of who do you prosecute? There has been several cases of older drivers getting confused as to which slip road to use. There have been continental drivers getting confused. Do we charge them all under the same law?
But that’s all by the by because we come back to not enough police 🤷‍♀️

Two police officers killed by idiots. Five young lives lost to criminal stupidity.

My thoughts go out to all concerned, including the young men as it is always a tragedy when young lives are lost, whatever the circumstances. I also feel for their bereaved families, as they were after all, somebodys' sons and brothers.

I am ashamed to say that I have been very critical of the police at times and although I don't take it all back, I think we should remember and honour the bravery and devotion to duty that these and many other police officers, show on a daily basis. Their families must be devastated and my heart goes out to them.

Calendargirl

Margs

Do teenage boys - it's always boys - possess minds? I think not.

We have these groups of teenage morons, one of them (amazingly) passes a driving test and immediately the gang piles into a wreck of a car and set off to go pure crazy.

I'd suggest that those of the male gender not be allowed on the roads until they reach sensible middle age.......but I suppose that would be trampling on their 'yoomin rites, like'

Think we should follow Australia, where there are restrictions on new young drivers having other young people in the car, apart from siblings.

Just seems very sensible to me.

I agree 100%, but the kind of kids who think it’s good fun to drive the wrong way down a motorway at goodness knows how many mph, often in stolen cars anyway, will probably just stick two fingers up at any such rule.

I wonder if a strong lifestyle element, even addiction, among some young men involves playing electronic video games in which death is not final, it’s reversible? Perhaps driving at speed the wrong way on a dual carriageway doesn’t carry the same obvious risk for them as it does for most of us?

I wrote my original post before I knew the full details. My thoughts go out to the police officers family too and not the scum who killed them. I am now terrified when I or any of my loved ones go out in their cars.

At first I thought they were children but 3 of them were adults. There was a 16 year old in the car, I have a separate unease about a 16 year old hanging around with those in their twenties.

Apparently young men perceive risk very differently to mature adults.

That is why they do such daft things, and end up killing themselves.

It must be very difficult for the officers in the army with a lot of headstrong young men, and why discipline must be so strict.